


Goodnight Kisses

by mandysimo13



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cuddling, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, One-Shot, Tumblr Prompt, will's dogs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 21:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7818526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandysimo13/pseuds/mandysimo13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal and Will are college roommates. Hannibal's to become a surgeon and Will's going to be a veterinarian. Will brings home a surprise that causes a shift in their easy friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodnight Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Original tumblr prompt - Hey hey hey! Can you pretty please do Hannigram and like all of the college AUs??? Or at least the college one with the pet in the dorm, and the other one is the vet in training? You're awesome! <3 =)

Hannibal continually found himself surprised to enjoy the company of his new roommate. He preferred to live alone, most people were tedious and rude. Previous attempts at friendship from his previous roommates were either met with indifference or the bare minimum of polite civility. He got on well enough with his professors, a few classmates, and the people in his drawing club. He was making nice with all the right people to set him up with good references and recommendations for his upcoming residency. He was content.

But then Will came along.

Will waltzed in with one overstuffed duffel bag and two cardboard boxes holding all his worldly possessions to take up the extra room in the apartment. He was on the science track, like Hannibal, but he was oriented towards veterinary medicine instead of human medicine. Their RA, a no nonsense woman Kade Purnell, showed him to the door Hannibal occupied, made brief introductions and left them to themselves to get acquainted.

Will had seemed shy at first, averting his gaze, holding out a timid hand to shake. Hannibal could tell it was because it had been ingrained in him since childhood that it was polite but it was a habit that Will didn’t seem fond of. Nonetheless, Hannibal reached out and shook his hand and helped him shift one of his boxes to the empty space in the room.

The school had provided two beds, two desks, two shoe-box sized closets, and nothing else. Hannibal wasted no time in decorating the space he called his home for the last five years. The desk on his side of the room was covered in his textbooks, sketchbooks, writing supplies, his laptop, and a couple random pieces of brick-a-brack from his clinicals. It was neat and orderly, just as it should be. On his bed, he had a very indulgent, deep blue, bedspread and matching satin sheets with large, soft pillows to cradle his head after he crammed for his exams. On the walls he had hung various pieces of art he was proud of; some anatomical pieces from his clinicals, a few landscapes, a portrait of Mischa. He had hung some curtains that kept the sun out when he wished for darkness that were a complimentarily light blue to his bedspread. It was calm, serene, and pleasant.

And yet, sometimes felt like he had outgrown the dormitory lifestyle; living amongst others in close quarters, under a curfew and with “house rules” that many other inhabitants violated. His past roommates often found themselves slamming the doors open after a drunken escapade, making noise while Hannibal tried to sleep or study. Sometimes they would be in the midst of dragging back some other, similarly intoxicated, partner to engage in sexual acts. Hannibal had never been squeamish, had never really cared what other people did. But when he was faced with a constant barrage of rudeness, well, it couldn’t be helped if some of those students soon found themselves in trouble with their respective departments for their infractions. Really, he couldn’t be blamed. He was quite cranky when his sleep was disturbed.

But Will had been polite and quiet from the get-go and Hannibal found himself asking him questions to break the easy silence between them. It started small with small talk about their respective fields of study. Then their talks eventually turned to small gestures of friendly bonding like offering to buy the other food when the other ordered out or went to the cafeteria for a snack. By unspoken agreement, neither of them delved too much into each other’s past. Will made small references to some past parental neglect and Hannibal made a vague mention of the death of his sister. But neither of them seemed too keen on breaking open old wounds. So instead, they kept up a steady, comfortable rhythm of living together.

They studied to the same music, usually Wagner or Mozart, occasionally sharing interesting tidbits of their readings. They talked about their days, commiserating over hard projects and celebrating accomplishments. Will would talk about his volunteering at an animal shelter and wishing he could adopt every dog in the joint. Hannibal would tell him that there was not near enough room for the two of them, let alone dogs, and Will would pout at his practicality. Hannibal would show off new pieces of art he had done with his drawing club. Will would smile with secondhand pride and ask him “where in the world do you find the time to ‘art’ in between classes and clinicals” and Hannibal would respond with “the secret is that I am a heartless robot with no need for sleep”. And then they’d laugh and spend their night in easy companionship.

Hannibal started having small whispers of affection for the young man. The more he allowed himself to look at Hannibal, the more they shone with confidence and friendly affection and Hannibal felt himself trying to make Will’s eyes shine. He longed to reach out and touch, to brush back the curls that always obscured those eyes. To run his fingertips and his lips along the short stubble that seemed to be ever present on Will’s chin and jaw.

But they never delved deeper than their skin deep conversations. Hannibal had never seen a girlfriend or boyfriend. Will had never mentioned a partner or lover but that did not mean one didn’t exist for him. He had never told him specifics of his love life and Hannibal never shared in return. For all he knew, Will wasn’t interested in anything that wasn’t covered in fur and sporting paws.

 _Alas, the sting of youthful desires,_ Hannibal cursed inwardly, as if he were already an old man beyond youthful indiscretions or mistakes.

Hannibal made his way home from his day at the clinic, working in the ER cleaning wounds and writing charts. It was just after ten in the evening and he was feeling drained. He briefly contemplated stopping at the cafeteria for a bite to eat but decided it would be too much effort to be polite to anyone other than Will after so long being spent around people at the hospital. His tetchiness after clincals made him almost rethink becoming a surgeon. Almost.

When he opened the door to their room he was greeted by a squawk from Will and him throwing a sheet over something behind his back. His quick turn as Hannibal stepped into the room revealed a face flush with embarrassment. “Ha-Hannibal! I thought you were at the hospital tonight!”

Hannibal’s eyes squinted in suspicion, trying to peer at the sheet-covered item behind Will. “I was let go an hour early. Slow day at the hospital, I’m afraid.”

“Right,” Will replied quickly.

“Will.”

“Yes?”

Hannibal placed his bag on the chair in front of his desk and looked Will square in the eye. “What is under the sheet?” And then the sheet moved and Hannibal took a step back, a momentary spike of unexpected panic coursing through him. Will held out a hand to steady him, quick to explain.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you before but-”

“Will,” Hannibal cut him off calmly, “just tell me. What’s under the sheet?”

Will sighed and turned to take the sheet off his secret.

He revealed a dog. An ordinary dog with mottled brown fur. The dog had bright, pouting eyes and was on the skinny end but seemed to be friendly enough. It didn’t whine or cry, nor did it seem at all anxious or aggressive. It sat silently behind Will, eyes darting back and forth between him and Hannibal. “His name is Winston,” Will offered.

“He is a dog,” Hannibal replied.

“Good catch there, Doc,” Will said dryly.

“Is there a reason you’re hiding a dog in our room? Aside from your obvious attachment to him?”

Will placed a gentle hand on the dog’s head and he leaned into Will’s leg, mouth dropping open in doggy happiness at the affection. “I may have rescued him.”

“Rescued? Like from your shelter?”

Will shook his head. “More like from the side of the road.”

Hannibal swallowed thickly. “Did you take someone’s dog?”

Will was quick to answer, “no! Of course not!” He sat on the ground, back against his bed and legs laid out in front of him. Winston decided to make himself comfortable and laid across his legs, head lolled to the side in pure contentment. “I found him while walking home. No leash or collar, no one chasing after him. He was pretty dirty when I found him. Real skinny, too. He ate like he hadn’t eaten for a week.”

Hannibal decided to join him on the ground, his back against his own bed and his legs stretched alongside Will’s. Their right legs touched and Hannibal found a small thrill in the contact. _Focus. Focus on the dog_ , Hannibal’s mind helpfully screamed at him. He folded his hands in his lap and forced himself to be still and not lean into the small point of contact. “He looks freshly clean and fed now. You took him to the shelter, I assume?” Will nodded in agreement. “Then why not leave him there? Surely they’re more capable of caring for him there than we are here.”

“He growled at the other dogs in the pens.” Will was silent a moment as if that explained everything. When Hannibal said nothing in questioning or understanding Will explained. “The shelter is so understaffed and overhoused with unwanted animals that if anyone else saw him growling they would have put him down faster than you could blink.”

“How do you know he isn’t aggressive?”

Will gestured to the dog in his lap. Winston was relaxed entirely, body still except for the gently wagging tail, belly barred to the open air, eyes closed. He was the very picture of a happy dog with no aggression in sight. “He’s so relaxed and calm here. I think he may have had a brush with other dogs out on the street and just needs some time to adjust and learn how to socialize again.”

“Be that as it may,” Hannibal countered, “that still leaves us with the problem of hiding a dog in our room where the rules state clearly ‘no pets allowed’.”

Will blinked a couple of times, surprise clear in his expression. “Us?”

“I’m as much responsible as you, now,” Hannibal explained. “I could not let such an innocent thing be lead to slaughter.” He smiled softly at Will. “Not when it would hurt you deeply. Knowing how you feel now, if I were to let you continue unaided and you were discovered it would be almost as if I hurt you myself.”

Will licked his lips nervously. “If we’re caught they’ll likely kick us out of the dorms. Might get expelled.”

Hannibal extended the olive branch that would end the war of doubt in Will’s mind. He reached out and gently ran his fingers through Winston’s belly fur. “Unlikely to be expelled for a first offense.” He felt the silky undercoat on Winston and smiled more deeply. “And if we are removed from the dorms I’m sure there’s suitable housing that we may inhabit while we finish our studies.”

“You...you’d still want to live with me? If we weren’t assigned roommates?”

“Of course,” Hannibal answered easily.

Slowly, a genuine smile spread across Will’s face. He soon ducked his head to hide it from Hannibal’s view. He seemed truly surprised to find that Hannibal would readily maintain their friendship and cohabitation outside imposed housing assignments.

“I thought that my feelings of friendship were clear,” Hannibal said evenly.

Will chuckled, repeating Hannibal’s words, “friendship.”

“Is that not what we are, Will? Friends?”

Silence stretched between them, charged but not altogether unpleasant. Winston seemed to feel it, too, because the dog shifted to lay across both their legs. His hind quarters ended up in Hannibal’s lap while his head remained in Will’s, nuzzling into the man’s stomach. At some point during the dog’s shuffle, their hands met in the middle of Winston’s stomach. At first brush, their hands seemed shocked at the touch. They were both hesitant to move but reluctant to go further.

Hannibal looked up at Will and seeing the hope mingled with fear in his eyes he decided to be the brave one. He slid his hand far enough so that their fingers entwined. They sat like that for a long time, letting the silence settle whilst holding hands. Eventually the dog squirmed, probably uncomfortable with his knobbly bed of knees and shins, and stood up awkwardly. Their hands parted as the dog broke them apart. He brushed past Will to stand at the foot of the bed before launching himself onto it. He circled a patch four times before dropping himself heavily onto the discount, and no doubt scratchy, comforter before yawning and closing his eyes sleepily.

They both chuckled and Will scrubbed a hand over his face. “I think I’ve been ousted from my own bed.”

Hannibal’s ears perked up, sensing an opportunity for more than handholding with the object of his desire. Hannibal told him plainly, “if sleeping with Winston not agreeable to you, you may share my bed tonight.” Will’s eyes widened in panic before Hannibal held up his hands in peace. “Just to sleep, I promise.” Will sagged with relief and Hannibal mentally kicked himself for being over eager.

Will smiled shyly at him. “I think I would like that.”

Without words, they helped each other stand, holding hands and pulling to bring them up together. When they stood upright they came within a couple inches of each other’s lips. Immediately the air in the room seemed too warm and crackly with energy. Hannibal tracked Will’s eyes, watching them dart quickly between Hannibal’s eyes and lips. Hannibal’s made the same path over’ Will’s face, wanting to close the few inches between them. But he promised. Sleep and nothing more.

With longing and reluctance, he released Will’s hands and said, “we should get ready for bed.”

Will nodded. He grabbed his pajamas and shower kit, containing his oral hygiene products, and took off to the common bathroom. Hannibal watched him go and while he was gone he changed so that he could quickly brush his teeth once he was sure Will had changed. In a few minutes they were both minty fresh and ready for bed. When Hannibal returned from the bathroom Will was standing in front of the bed, shifting nervously.

“Which side of the bed do you take,” he asked.

“Normally the middle,” Hannibal answered truthfully. It was a twin. A tight fit for two full grown men. “But, considering the circumstances, I will take the half by the wall.” He slid under his covers and held back the corner for Will to join him. Once beside him, Will seemed stiff, unsure of where to put his anything. His breathing was a touch faster than normal, eyes dilated. He wanted something but was unsure if he should ask for it. Hannibal once again, decided to break the ice between them. “Would you like to cuddle?”

Will nodded his consent and they set about fitting themselves together. Will ended up half draped over Hannibal’s chest, arms wrapped around each other’s middles and his head on Hannibal’s chest. After they settled a soft giggle erupted from Will.

“What’s so amusing,” Hannibal drawled sleepily, squeezing just a touch to show there was no malice in his words.

“You said you prefer the middle. Well,” he said, giggling, “you’ve succeeded in keeping the middle.”

Hannibal soon joined him giggling over that thought. Their chests and stomachs heaved with laughter that quickly spun into a mild hysteria. Will turned his head up to say something but found Hannibal staring down at him, fondness screaming from his eyes. Laughter ceased and they were back where they once were; faces inches from each other and charged. Hannibal held eye contact with him while Will’s brain visibly churned. He reasoned to himself that he had been brave twice in seeking out contact. This time, he would let Will decide.

After what seemed like an eternity Will confessed softly, “I find myself wanting something.”

“And what is that?” Hannibal found himself hoping and praying that he was not wrong in his assumptions. But he refused to lead Will in this, he would have to find his own way, his own courage to span the bridge between them.

Will licked his lips and tilted his head slightly. “A goodnight kiss.”

Relief flooded Hannibal and he replied, “it would be my pleasure, Will.”

Will moved the small, necessary inches forward to press their mouths together. The kiss was sweet and tender. Hannibal’s hand found its way to Will’s cheek, cupping it gently as their lips glided over one another. It was chaste, only small pressure and the tiniest flick of tongue against the skin of their lips to moisten them. They pulled back and Hannibal saw Will’s cheeks tinted pink with emotion and desire.

 _Another time_ , Hannibal promised himself. _But not tonight._

He laid one more tender kiss to Will’s lips before whispering, “goodnight, Will.”

“Goodnight, Hannibal.”

Will tucked his head under Hannibal’s chin and curled his fist into his shirt and Hannibal found himself suddenly very thankful that Winston found his way into their lives.


End file.
